NEWS/VIEWS

September 10, 2015

"What Happened to the Harmonies?" The Decline of Vocal Groups in Reggae

"Bring back the memories of the songs we used to know. Bring back the harmonies of sweet music like before..."  Matumbi

In recent years there has been a resurgence of classic or foundation elements of Jamaican music. Music incorporating early musical traditions such as Nyahbinghi drumming have become more popular with many young conscious artists. Artists like Jah 9, Protoje or Chronixx  will all have at least one or two tracks on each album backed by drummers. Dub music has also been embraced by many of the younger generation. Even popular artist Busy Signal released Reggae Dubb'n Again, a vinyl only dub version of his album Reggae Music Again. Despite this revival one element of Jamaican music that hasn't seen a popular comeback over the years is harmony vocal groups.

Harmony groups were a crucial part of the development of Reggae music and Jamaican music more generally. During the ska years vocal groups had big hits with tunes like Life Could Be A Dream by the Maytals and Simmer Down by the Wailers. The popularity of vocal groups gained prominence in the Rock Steady years with vocal groups such as the Heptones, Paragons and the Gaylads being the biggest acts of their day. As the music turned once again with Roots Reggae, vocal groups were at the front line.

The Heptones

There were dozens of harmony vocal groups, mostly harmony trios, during the early days of Reggae music. Songs from that time that are now considered anthems and classics were often the work of harmony groups like the Abyssinian's with Satta Massagana or the Mighty Diamonds with Pass the Kutchie. The importance of vocal groups in reggae goes beyond Jamaica. The vocal groups Matumbi and Steel Pulse were pioneers in the establishment of reggae music overseas in England. Vocal groups such as Black Uhuru continued into the 80's but the era of vocal groups had already peaked and started to decline.

Some of the writing on the wall could be seen as popular groups broke up or became focused around a single lead singer. The most famous case of this being the Wailers with Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley. First it became Bob Marley and the Wailers and than the group split, with Bob becoming the single lead singer. Despite the decline, one place that harmony vocals lived on was in the female harmony singers. Bob's music after the split with Bunny and Peter has very strong vocal support from the I-Three's (Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths) which helped shape Bob's music into the classic sound that people all over the world know and love. To this day female harmony vocalists don't get much respect or congratulations for their contribution to reggae but that's a reasoning for another day.

The I-Three's

Today harmony vocal groups barely exist. Even the members of Morgan Heritage probably the most successful modern vocal group are off doing solo projects. There are some notable exceptions, with a few groups still carrying on the torch. One of my favourites is the Rasites who delivered a modern classic with their album Urban Generation. They're still recording and released the single Drum and Baseline recently which we featured on our site. Another group I'm excited about is the No-Madd's a young group out of Jamaica who's musical influences vary too much for me to want to categorize. As promising as these groups are they still represent a drop in the current ocean of reggae music.

I'm personally passionate about the subject of harmony groups because they are what made me first start listening to Reggae music. First it was Israel Vibration who with their off key harmonies and deep roots sound captured my spirit. From there the mystical sounds of groups like the Abyssinian's and the Congos deepened my love for the music and its kept a hold on to me ever since. While I've embraced many of the new turns in reggae music like the singjay revolution and now the reggae revival or new roots I still hold on to the hope that one day those sweet harmonies will come back to Reggae.

For all those new to Reggae music or who would like to grow their understanding of reggae music I've included a ten album/cd list. Its not a ranking more like a musical study guide. Support your local record shop and pick them up there or you can find them on itunes. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Abyssinian's - Satta Massagana
2. Congos - Heart of the Congos
3. Meditations - Deeper Roots : Best of the Meditations
4. Black Slate - Amigo: Best of Black Slate
5. Earth & Stone - Kool Roots
6. Culture - One Stone
7. Mighty Diamonds - Deeper Roots
8. Matumbi - Empire Road
9. Black Uhuru - Ultimate Collection
10. Rasites - Urban Generation

balance and blessings,

Jahzilla

September 3, 2015

Toronto Reggae Festival Season Wrap-Up

Reggae music is a sunshine music. The rhythms envelop you like the sun when you step out on a sunny day. Unfortunately here in Toronto we don't get much sun. Since no one really associates reggae with winter, we jam pack as much reggae music into the little sunshine time we get each year.

After that the snow falls and its kind of hard to convince reggae artists and fans to come out when it's -20 outside.

Between July and September each year there is the Irie Music Festival, Island Soul Festival, Toronto Reggae Festival, Rastafest, Jamaica Day, Jambana and the Reggae Night at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition). Basically for a couple months each year you can go out to a different reggae festival each weekend. Since most of them are very reasonably priced its easy on the wallet and lets people come out with the whole family. Lot's of the festivals have additional activities and food vendors making it a fun way to spend the day, with the evening concert a cherry on top.

One thing that is a constant struggle, is trying to coup with the chance of being rained out. All the events previously mentioned take place outdoors and with so many a few will get rained out each year. The weather can turn bad pretty quick. This year at Iriefest there was even hail, which along with the lightening storm caused the show to be cancelled before the headliners could perform. It's a lot of work to organize such a large festival and a heartache when it gets washed out. 

Give thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, funders, partners and everybody who came out and made it a wonderful summer for reggae music in Toronto. Special thanks goes out to all the artists who graced our stages. Hopefully some of the artists will be brave enough to come back and perform during the long, cold winter months. 

balance,

Jahzilla

Reggae Run Tings! We Run Reggae!

NOVEMBER 11, 2014

WHEN ARTISTS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR THEIR FANS

FEW THINGS ARE AS DISAPPOINTING TO ME AS GOING TO A LIVE SHOW AND HAVING THE FEATURED ARTIST PUT ON A LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCE. I CAN OVER LOOK ALMOST ANYTHING AT  A CONCERT. POOR SOUND QUALITY, A BAD VENUE LOCATION, EVEN A DEAD CROWD CAN BE REDEEMED BY AN AWESOME PERFORMANCE FROM AN ARTIST. A REAL PERFORMER WILL PUT ON AN AMAZING SHOW NO MATTER WHERE OR HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE TO SEE IT.

THAT BEING THE CASE I WANT TO PRAISE A COUPLE OF PERFORMANCES THAT I RECENTLY ATTENDED IN TORONTO. THE FIRST ONE WAS REGGAE NIGHT AT THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION (C.N.E). FREDDIE MCGREGOR WAS PERFORMING AT AN OUTDOORS VENUE ON THE EXHIBITION GROUNDS AND BEFORE THE SHOW EVEN STARTED IT HAD ALREADY BEGAN TO RAIN. FREDDIE CAME ON DISPITE THE RAIN AND EVEN PLAYED SOME OF HIS HITS SONGS EARLIER IN THE SHOW INCASE PEOPLE HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE OF THE RAIN. THE SHOW DIDNT STOP THOUGH AND FREDDIE MCGREGOR DID A WHOLE SET PLUS A LONG ENCORE. HALFWAY THROUGH HE EXCLAIMED "IM NOT GOING TO STOP SINGING UNTIL MY SHIRT IS COMPLETELY SOAKED!" EVEN WITH THE RAIN HIS PRESENCE ON STAGE KEPT HUNDREDS OF HIS FANS DANCING AND ENJOYING THEMSELVES.

ANOTHER WAY AN ARTIST CAN MAKE A NIGHT SPECIAL IS TO INTERACT WITH HIS FANS. SOMETIMES AN ARTIST GOES AROUND IN A BULLET PROOF VEST LOOKING AT US FANS LIKE SOME UNWASHED MASS TO BE AVOIDED. ITS ALWAYS NICE TO SEE AN ARTIST BREAK DOWN THAT BARRIER TO CHAT, TAKE PHOTOS OR OTHERWISE PERSONALIZE THE EXPERIENCE OF A SHOW. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH A RECENT PERFORMANCE OF I-OCTANCE AT THE KOOL HAUS IN TORONTO. NOT ONLY DID I-OCTANE BRING SOME FANS ON TO THE STAGE TO DANCE AND DO A LITTLE WHINE OFF COMPETITION, HE CAME DOWN AND PERFORMED A NUMBER OF SONGS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANCEFLOOR. IT TOTALLY HYPED UP THE CROWD AND BROUGHT A GREAT ENERGY TO THE REST OF THE SHOW.

SO BIG UP ALL THE ARTISTS WHO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR THIER FANS.

BALANCE,

JAHZILLA

AUGUST 19, 2014

THIS DAY IN REGGAE - AUGUST 19

THIS DAY, AUGUST 19, MARKS THE EIGHT YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSING OF JOSEPH HILL FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE ROOTS HARMONY GROUP CULTURE. BORN IN 1949, JOSEPH HILL LIKE MANY JAMAICAN ARTISTS BEGAN TO SING IN CHURCH AT AN EARLY AGE. IN TIME JOSEPH HILL CAME TO EMBRACE THE TEACHINGS OF RASTAFARI, WHICH BECAME THE INSPIRATION OF MUCH OF THE MUSIC RECORDED BY CULTURE OVER THE YEARS. DEVOTED TO HIS MUSICAL MISSION, JOSEPH HILL CONTINUED TO SPREAD HIS MESSAGE OF RASTAFARI LIVITY UNTIL THE VERY END. TWO DAYS BEFORE HIS PASSING, HE COLLAPSED ON STAGE WHILE PERFORMING  WITH CULTURE AT A SHOW IN BERLIN.

JOSEPH HILL WITH CULTURE HAD MANY HIT SONGS, MOST NOTABLE BEING 'TWO SEVENS CLASH'. THE APOCALYPTIC SONG WARNED OF TRIBULATION ON THE DAY OF JULY 7,1977. THE SONG HAD SUCH A IMPACT ON THE JAMAICAN PSYCHE THAT MANY JAMAICANS DECIDED TO STAY HOME FROM WORK THAT DAY TO AVOID WHATEVER DISASTER HAD BEEN PREDICTED IN THE SONG'S LYRICS.

JOSEPH HILL'S LEGACY WILL LIVE ON THROUGH HIS BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL MUSIC. HIS SON KENYATTA HILL HAS TAKEN HIS FATHER'S PLACE WITH THE GROUP CULTURE. A GREAT WAY TO INSURE ANOTHER GENERATION WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO HEAR THE POSITIVE VIBRATIONS OF HIS FATHER'S MUSICAL MESSAGE.

BALANCE,

JAHZILLA

AUGUST 9, 2014

IRIE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014

REGGAE RUN TINGS WAS AT IRIEFEST THIS YEAR TO TAKE IN THE IRIE VIBES AND SWEET REGGAE MUSIC. RICHIE SPICE HEADLINED THE STAGESHOW AT THE FESTIVAL ON SATURDAY NIGHT. RICHIE SPICE WAS RAINED OUT THE LAST TIME HE WAS SET TO PERFORM AT IRIEFEST IN 2012. RICHIE PERFORMED ONE SONG AND LIGHTENING STARTED TO CRASH. THIS YEAR WITH CLEAR SKIES OVERHEAD, RICHIE SPICE DELIVERED A GREAT SHOW FOR HIS FANS AT IRIEFEST.

ETANA GRACED THE STAGE ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND WOWED THE CROWD WITH HER BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL MUSICAL PERFORMANCE.  ETANA WAS ABLE TO BRING A REAL INTIMATE VIBE TO THE SHOW.  HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED THE SONG REGGAE, A LOVE SONG TO REGGAE MUSIC, THAT BROUGHT CHEERS AND SHOUTS FROM EVERYONE AT THE SHOW. ETANA'S VERSIONS OF A COUPLE BOB MARLEY ANTHEMS ALSO GOT PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR SEATS AND ON THEIR FEET. WITH WORDS OF LOVE AND SUPPORT SAID WITH CONVICTION, ETANA SHOWED WHY SHE IS THE STRONG ONE.

BALANCE,

JAHZILLA